Magellan AI data released earlier this month showed that podcast advertising rose 21% year-over-year during the first quarter. But that doesn’t mean it was equally distributed.
In a newly released report, Magellan AI data shows that 51% of all podcast advertising during the month of March rested with the 500 most-listened to programs. That is a relatively large jump from the 44% that same sector saw in January and February. It is also an increase from the 47% the top 500 shows garnered during the final quarter of last year.
While the total spending grew, average spending dropped ever so slightly in the top 500 programs. In the first quarter, roughly $4.80 of every $10 spent on podcast advertising went to the top shows. That’s a slight decline, however, compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, when $5.10 of every $10 spent went to the best-performing programs.
The next tier of podcasts — ranking between 501-3,000 — earned 33% of all podcast advertising during the month. That, too, was a jump from February (29%), January (27%), and the fourth quarter of 2024 (32%).
According to Magellan AI data, advertisers spent $300,000 per month on the top 500 podcasts during the first quarter on average.
Additionally, the total percentage of podcast episodes dedicated to advertising fell in the first quarter compared to the previous three-month window. 8.01% of time in sampled programs was dedicated to advertising ad load. That is down by an estimated 26 seconds per episode, from 8.22% in the previous quarter.
Furthermore, the reliance on other podcasts as advertisers has decreased compared to last year. During the first quarter of 2024, 2.4% of the share of podcast episodes was dedicated to advertisements and promotion of other shows. However, in the first quarter of 2025, that percentage had fallen to 1.43%.
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